In general, shaving razors of the wet shave type include a cartridge or blade unit with at least one blade with a cutting edge which is moved across the surface of the skin being shaved by means of a handle to which the cartridge is attached. The cartridge may be mounted detachably on the handle to enable the cartridge to be replaced by a fresh cartridge when the blade sharpness has diminished to an unsatisfactory level, or it may be attached permanently to the handle with the intention that the entire razor be discarded when the blade or blades have become dulled (i.e., disposable razor). The connection of the cartridge to the handle provides a pivotal mounting of the cartridge with respect to the handle so that the cartridge angle adjusts to follow the contours of the surface being shaved. In such systems, the cartridge can be biased toward a rest position by the action of a spring-biased plunger (a cam follower) carried on the handle against a cam surface on the cartridge housing. Razor cartridges usually include a guard which contacts the skin in front of the blade(s) and a cap for contacting the skin behind the blade(s) during shaving. The cap and guard aid in establishing the so-called “shaving geometry”, i.e., the parameters which determine the blade orientation and position relative to the skin during shaving, which in turn have a strong influence on the shaving performance and efficacy of the razor. The guard may be generally rigid, for example formed integrally with a frame or platform structure which provides support for the blades.
In recent years shaving razors with numerous blades have been proposed in the literature and commercialized, i.e., in U.S. Pat. Pub. 2005/0039337 A1 published on Feb. 24, 2005, which generally describes a type of design that has been commercialized globally as the five bladed Fusion™ razor by The Gillette Company. In general, additional blades provide a closer shave, but increase drag against the surface of the skin, which may result in discomfort to the user. To compensate for the increased drag caused by the increased number of blades, shaving aids (i.e., a lubricant, whisker softener, razor cleanser, medicinal agent, cosmetic agent or combination thereof), have been incorporated into razors, for example by incorporating a shaving aid into one or more extruded or molded polymeric components of the razor. Such shaving aid composites may be mounted on a cap behind the blades and/or on guard structures in front of the blades of the razor cartridge to decrease friction and drag.
Various guard structures have been developed to improve the stretching of the skin in front of the blades. These guard structures have also increased in size to provide improved stretching of the skin and compensate for the general desire of increased lubrication. The additional blades, larger guard structures and the addition of lubrication strips in front of and/or behind the blades have increased the manufacturing cost and the overall size of the cartridge, especially the footprint of the cartridge (the surface area of the cartridge that is in contact with the skin during shaving). In general, a smaller footprint is preferred by consumers to maneuver the cartridge around smaller areas of the face, such as around the nose and chin. Furthermore, some consumers prefer the look of a neatly contoured mustache or beard. Larger cartridges make it difficult to accurately contour facial hair because the cartridge blocks the view of the user from the area being shaved or trimmed.